Clerk. She talks about János Bárány who was executed for being the leader of one of the fighter groups during the Revolution.

Engineer, economist and politician. During the '56 Revolution, he was on the Revolutionary Students Committee of Budapest Technical University and on the board of MEFESZ (the Union of Hungarian University and College Students. Arrested in January 1957, he was released again after two months on remand. He worked in various state-owned enterprises in 1957–85 and then chaired the Engineers and Construction Mechanics Small Cooperative until 1990.

Technical draughtsman, translator and writer. He was in Paris in 1945–8 and has lived in Stockholm since 1956. He graduated as an engineer in Sweden and is a member of the Swedish Writers’ Association.

Mathematician. On the staff of the SZTAKI Computer and Automation Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, he was dismissed in 1980. He was an activist in the unofficial organization SZETA and a member of the democratic opposition, helping to print and distribute samizdat material. In 1991–9, he worked for publishers Aura and then became manager and co-owner of the Pont bookshop. In 1995–2000 he managed the Mérleg Restaurant. He now manages the “M” Café.

Peasant. 1956: member of the Revolutionary Committee of Vámospércs Village, 1957: sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment.

Teacher. One of the leaders of the illegal communist youth movement in the 1930s, 1945–1949: double agent, 1949–1956: imprisoned, 1956: settled in West Germany.

Forester. As a member of the Levente youth movement, he was in the Bakony Brigade in 1945. He was arrested by the Soviet authorities and sentenced to serve ten years in a labour camp. He returned home in 1953.

Transylvanian, teacher. 1956: one of the leaders of the students’ movement in Temesvár, sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment.

Waiter. He defected to Italy via Bulgaria in 1970, and emigrated from there to Australia in 1971. He lives in Sydney as a leatherwork trader

retoucher. She married Gábor Somlai (qv.) in 1981 and emigrated to Australia along with her child. She lives in Sydney, working as a leatherwork trader.